The issue is stagnation. Part of the solution, Nate McMillan hopes, is a lineup adjustment, although getting Rodney Stuckey back would certainly help.
“We'll keep mixing and matching until we get a good rhythm,” McMillan said following Tuesday's practice at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, which followed Monday's dispiriting loss to New York at The Fieldhouse.
This isn't an ideal scenario for the Pacers' coach 44 games into the season, but recent trends forced his hand. He started C.J. Miles ahead of Glenn Robinson III against the Knicks and will do so again when the Pacers play at Minnesota on Thursday. He started Miles at the “three” position and moved Paul George to the “two.”
Whether George will stay there or move back to the so-called small forward sport remains to be seen, and might not really matter. The primary difference between “two” and “three” in the Pacers' offense is that the two lines up on the left side of the court rather than the right. It also might influence whether he takes the ball out of bounds in the halfcourt.
“I talked to Paul about that change last night and … he was OK with it,” McMillan said. “In fact, he seemed pretty excited about it. Not a huge change, just different sides of the floor.”
George, who scored 31 points on 11-of-24 shooting against the Knicks, expressed no preference.
“It's the same,” he said. “I'm a basketball player. I don't have a problem anywhere on that court.
“I'd play the 'one' if I could.”
Regardless of the numerals assigned to the positions of George, Miles or anyone else, the Pacers must find a way to avoid the offensive collapses that cost them Monday's game, and have been factors in other losses. They jumped to a 14-point lead on the Knicks late in the first quarter, and led by 12 at the end of the quarter. The Knicks whittled that down to a six-point advantage three minutes into the second quarter, tied the game 7 1/2 minutes in, and led by four at halftime.
The Pacers allowed 40 points in the period while scoring just 24. The reserve unit was largely responsible for that, but the starters were mostly at fault for the problem in the third quarter, when the Pacers scored just 17 points on 33 percent shooting to fall behind by as many as 17 points.
“All season,” George said, providing a timeline for the offensive problems. “A big issue for us, being stagnant on both ends.”
The causes of a stagnant offense can be difficult to diagnose. It could be the structure, set up by the coaches, or it could be the execution by the players. George has consistently gone with the latter possibility this season, blaming lack of “trust” among the players.
“We don't think the ball's going to get moved,” he said. “No trust that guys are going to work for one another, so you tend to stand and watch.”
George hopes Tuesday's practice helped provide a solution. It focused on defense, moving without the ball and not dribbling as much. There were drills in which ballhandlers were not allowed to dribble, or dribble once or twice.
“We're just trying to open up our offense, open up our creativity and be a lot more vocal offensively and defensively,” George said.
“It was a good practice. We got after it. Hopefully it carries over to tomorrow's practice and the game.”
Getting Stuckey back could help. The veteran guard is one of the more decisive and aggressive Pacers, but not in street clothes. He missed 10 games in October with a strained right hamstring, six games in December with a sore left hamstring, then came back for one game and reinjured the hamstring. He's sat out the past 12 games, but was a full participating in Tuesday's practice. He'll play on Thursday if he responds well.
If so, that could be the start of a more stagnant starting lineup and rotation – one that isn't as stagnant on the court.
“I don't want to be going back and forth with lineups,” McMillan said. “It's important for the players to know their role and where they're playing and their rotation.”
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